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@blokeuptheroad mum has a tree in her memory in Tenbury Millennium orchard 🙂
A colleague has too many apples on his trees this year, so we volunteered bravely to help out...
We got very small crops of our dozen or so trees this year. I would reckon its a bee issue - whether it is weather related or thanks to our government's continued allowing of nicotinoids, there seems to have been less bees. I would think most trees would have been on their way to growing the apples before the really bad weather set in, but we didnt get a failed crop, just no crop.
Will be planting an orchard of my own soon. Various heritage varieties of apples, pears, damsons, quince, cherry etc.
Supermarkets suck. Frankly, if Spain can grow oranges and lemons at the side of the road in enough volume that locals can just pick what they want on the way home, we should be doing it with our native fruit.
egremont russets and Stilton, perfect sandwich
Supermarkets suck
Had lovely Victoria plums & green gages in my old garden, supermarket produce never gets close, tried to grow here but they haven't flourished 😕 would love to have a small orchard.
Even if there isn't room to have an orchard, most people can grow some sort of a fruit tree. Possible against a fence (in a sunny position). The tree doesn't have to be big, but it's best to go to a proper nursery who can advise.
I love spotting rogue apple trees in hedgerows on journeys. I always say I’m going to log each one and go back and pick some but never get round to it.
Stopped many a time in France at roadside rest stops mainly in Normandy (think service station without Greggs, Costa and a shop selling overpriced sweets and million candlepower torches) where for shade they have planted mini orchards around their picnic benches with apple, pear, cherry and plum trees that we’ve filled the campervan up with for our travels.
I grew up with a few egremont russet trees in the garden and a lovely red/ green apple a bit like one posted earlier in the thread. We loved eating them and would also be found round the village scrumping at times!
the evolution of the apple is fascinating if I remember they evolved along the Silk Road trading route from the east and got bigger sweeter and juicier as they came west. Think I read about it in a Roger Deakin book iirc.